11. Showing Off

The pack was the first to find us. They were the few that arrived early. Bane swept the cafeteria, looking for Shane. I rolled my eyes; it was going to be one of those days.

Nobody was supervising the cafeteria, so I was going to watch Bane carefully to make sure that he didn't stir up trouble before he had his turn with the Gamemakers. In fact, there was really no need for me to, because he was chatting with Victor in whispered tones, which Aubrey tried to listen in on. Ben was picking at his fingers, trying to keep himself occupied.

"You nervous for today?" a gravelly voice asked. I jumped. When had Jenna sat next to me?

"Oh yeah, a little," I confessed.

"You shouldn't be. Home in your energy on what you're doing. The more energy you show, the more the Gamemakers will be impressed."

"Do you know this for a fact?"

"Of course. They're always interested in the first few districts. As time goes on, they begin to get tired. Personally, I would love to sit with them myself, just to judge how good or bad our competition is." She gave a crooked smile, her scarred corner of her mouth already pulled up. Even when Jenna kept a neutral face, she still looked like she was smiling. "Is he better today?" she asked me, looking at Bane.

"I'm not sure," I sighed.

"He seems to be obsessed with that boy from Twelve."

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"I don't know, Jenna. I wish I knew."

"It's probably got something to do with you."

"Since when?" I glared at her.

"Well, both times the boy from Twelve did something around you, whether directly or indirectly, or unintentionally, Bane was always there five seconds afterwards, guns loaded, ready to fire. You two don't know each other?"

"I've only known him from school, but even then we never talked much." I shrugged.

"I wouldn't believe it the way I see him around you, Crystal." She picked at one of her chewed nails.

Aubrey came to join us, pouting. I smiled. "Couldn't hear what they were saying?" I teased.

"No," she grumbled. I saw more tributes start to wander in. When I saw Shane and his district partner, I shot a look at Bane. He still seemed deep in talk with Victor, so I wasn't too concerned. "How much longer do we have to wait?"

"Until everybody comes in, I suppose," Jenna sighed. "I hope everybody gets here soon, I want to get my performance out of the way."

"Same," Aubrey said. "I feel bad for you, Crystal. You're the first to go."

"I am?" I squeaked.

"I thought you knew?" Jenna asked.

"N-no," I sputtered. Well, this was a good thing, right? I'd go first; I'd finish early, then retreat back to the apartment where I would wait hours nervously as I waited for the time to reveal my score on TV.

Maybe going first wasn't a privilege.

Jenna beamed. "I'm just kidding! Bane's going to go first, then you."

"Oh. Wow. You really had me there," I said shakily.

"No worries, girl," Aubrey said coolly. "It'll be done before you know it. Hell, you might have so much fun you'll be sad you're done."

I wasn't so sure about that.

Eventually, all twenty-six tributes were stuck in the cafeteria. At times, when Jenna and Aubrey talked, my eyes swept the cafeteria. I locked eyes with Shane once but then quickly looked away.

The doors opened, the room fell silent in less than ten seconds. All eyes were on Garret.

"Everybody here? Good," he said loudly. I cringed. He didn't need to shout, his voice carried in the cafeteria. "I'll call you all one at a time, the guys first, the ladies will follow suit. Once you're done your session, you may head back to your apartment floor." He looked at a tablet of some sort. "Bane."

Bane sprung to his feet, walking with a cocky air about him as he passed through the doors with Garret. He didn't seem too worried, so why should I? If Bane could get through his session, I could get through mine. There, that's the spirit, I told myself.

For me, all I could do was wait for Bane to finish and for Garret to call my name next. I fiddled with my hands, figuring out what to do first. Hmm, wrestling first or knives?

When Garret came back out five minutes later, my time had come. "Crystal Springs," he called.

I slipped off the table, Aubrey and Jenna wishing me luck behind my back. I tried to look confident as I strolled to the doors and Garret, yet my heart was racing just a little bit. It was from both excitement and nerves. Nothing can go wrong, nothing will go wrong.

A wrestling mat and a few dummies with a small array full of knives on a table was what I walked into. Perfect. It's like they know what I'm going to do. I bet the assistants, experts, and maybe even Garret tried to piece together what each tribute would do in their private session. They were right on the mark with me.

I looked up to the closed balcony above me. Separating me from the Gamemakers was just how high up they were. There were quite a bit of them. I couldn't pick out the Head Gamemaker since I didn't know who it was. Nothing was around them like food or wine so they obviously hadn't been bored with Bane. Well, this is the beginning of a long day for them. I couldn't imagine being from Districts 11 to 13, at the bottom of the list.

I tried my best to ignore the Gamemakers as I strolled over to the mat. The same assistant I had tried hand-to-hand combat with was here to take me on. I wasn't about to let him embarrass me for a third time, and definitely not in front of the Gamemakers. He smirked when he saw me. I stood at the one end of the mat, tossing my head, holding it high.

He inched forward, slowly trying to intimidate me. I decided to mirror him, moving inwards. I breathed evenly through my nostrils, focusing. I couldn't read his mind so I had no idea what he would do against me. If I could find some giveaway from him, whether by his eyes or body language, I could possibly anticipate his attack.

He charged. I ducked and twisted away from him. Acting quickly, I jumped on him, tackling him to the floor. He rolled me onto the mat, trying to squish me. I tried to restrain him, looping my arms around his shoulders. His feet kicked furiously, but I used my legs to contain his. He hit a few kicks to my legs—they were almost nothing but bone really, they were extremely skinny—but I didn't back down. Biting my tongue, I got one leg of his locked under mine. He bucked his body wildly, trying to loosen my grip on him. He kept trying to slam my stomach with his back, trying to make me let go so I could inhale properly. His one leg still kicked on the mat furiously. When I felt his leg get trapped and him feel restricted, I knew I owned him.

I beamed, feeling triumphant. I felt his body go limp in defeat in my grasp.

"Round one goes to you, kid," he whispered. "I'll go another round if you need it."

"I'll spare you," I crooned. I released the assistant while I jumped to my feet, flitting to the knives.

I eyed my targets. Three dummies, all pretty far away from me, but they were side-by-side. Not one was farther than the others. I'm still feeling good despite the throbbing in my legs, so I can totally do this.

I threw all three knives with such speed I almost thought Jenna had thrown them. Each sunk into one dummy. One nailed a dummy's heart, one bit into another's neck, and the last one was right in the head. One corner of my mouth twitched into a crooked smile. I kept from celebrating in front of the Gamemakers; I wasn't sure how much they appreciated victory dances in front of them.

I looked at the balcony of Gamemakers. I saw some were impressed, while maybe one or two was whispering to another. I gave a bow to show my respect, then left.

I expected a good score from this.

* * *

Demi was back for a visit, this time with another woman. It had to be Regina; all I saw was her orange hair with bright yellow streaks that nearly made my eyes burn just staring. They were on the couch, close together, probably discussing ideas for the next new outfit. The interview outfit, I realized.

I heard Ross and Bane talking down the hall. I slipped undetected behind Regina and Demi to find the boys in the hall, like I had thought.

"How'd your session go?" Ross asked.

"Perfect. I still have a lot of energy left over," I said quickly. I felt like I was on some kind of high.

"I think it was the coffee that made her like this," Bane snickered. "Too much caffeine."

"No, it's from the rush of success I'm having."

"Bane was just telling me how his session went," our mentor told me.

"How did it go?" I pressed.

"Well, I doubt it could top yours," Bane said thoughtfully, lightly patting the wall he was leaning against.

"You threw a weight to the other side of the room," Ross said. "That's impressive. Not a lot of tributes can do that."

"You didn't do anything cocky like throw one at the Gamemakers, did you?" I asked warily.

"No way," Bane said. "I'm not stupid. You're shaking, Crystal."

"I am?"

He put his hands on my shoulders; I could see each arm of his tremble. How was I shaking and not even realizing it? Maybe I was on a caffeine high, not a successful, elated high like I convinced myself I was on.

"Do you have coffee a lot?" Ross asked me.

"Sometimes if I feel up to it I do," I said in a rush.

"That should never be again."

"Why? It's not like I'm doing drugs or anything, Ross," I complained. "It was just coffee."

"You're way too jittery. I'm used to the other Crystal, the one who's focused on the Games and not bouncing like a rabbit."

"You know, why don't you go with Regina and Demi?" Bane suggested. "I bet being with them might settle you down a bit."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Positive." He gave a weak grin.

"Whatever you think will help." I shrugged. I bounded back out to the room, nearly falling on my face when I took off on the small step into the living room wrong. I caught myself with the couch.

"Crystal, you're back?" Demi asked. "I didn't hear you come in."

"I just got back," I said, bouncing.

"What's wrong with you?" Regina piped. Her voice was a high chirp. She had normal, hazel eyes; I would have expected yellow contacts in her eyes.

"Ross thinks it's the coffee I had this morning."

"He's probably right, the coffee the Capitol usually lets the Avoxes give you is extremely caffeinated."

"Nobody told me that!"

"You must not have that much caffeine back in One," Demi said.

"Not at all."

"Why are you out here?"

"The boys thought you two could help me settle down. I don't think you will, no offense, but they suggested it. Anyway, what are you up to?"

"Oh, Demi was telling me all about your dress, Crystal," Regina said.

"Oooh, already?" I looked at Demi.

"Mhm. I'm sticking with something relating towards your opening ceremonies dress," Demi reminded me.

"Is it made already?"

"Oh no, dear. I was just showing her a sketch."

"Can I see it?" I begged.

"You are my tribute, you might as well."

"Yes!" I squealed. I jumped onto the couch, nearly taking out Demi in the process. I got myself situated, clasping my hands in my lap. "So, what's the idea?"

"It's right here." She handed me the sketchpad.

It was hard to see at first because my hands were still quivering. Demi took it away from me so I could look at it when it wasn't moving. The dress looked like an elegant ball gown, not showing my feet at all. My choker was in the design—which I approved of. There were a few notes around the sketch too, like, mask or no mask? Stars on the dress, black gloves or none?

"What do you mean 'stars on the dress'?" I probed.

"Remember your chariot for the opening ceremonies?" Demi asked. "Well, I was thinking I could make that work on your dress all the way around."

"So what is this representing?"

"Well, I was thinking dark side of the moon originally, but I think just you resembling the night sky would be enough."

"It sounds wonderful!" I gushed. Okay, this caffeine is starting to make me sound like a girly girl. Let this wear off, I feel like something's controlling me. I don't like this feeling.

"How long does this last?" Demi whispered to Regina.

"She'll crash, believe me," Regina assured her. "She'll be back to her old self."

"So...what do you think?" Demi asked me.

"I like the idea," I said slowly, trying to calm my jitters. I needed to take control of myself again. "But is a mask and gloves necessary, Demi? I'm being interviewed, not going to a masquerade ball."

"They were just little ideas." She shrugged. "I think I'll make them anyway just in case."

"When are you going to start making it?" I asked curiously.

"Tomorrow. Regina and I will be helping each other for yours and Bane's outfits."

"What's his going to look like?"

"Just a simple suit," Regina said. "See, with girls, it's much more fun because there's a lot you can work with. Guys you've got to be careful with, because sometimes what you picture in your head is different from what they look like when they're actually dressed up."

"Oh." I made a face. "Have you had any like that before?"

"No, it's just fact."

"Keep this a secret, Crystal," Demi whispered to me. "I want nobody to know about this, not even Sienna. I want everyone to see you before you go down for the interviews."

"Can you trust her while she's hyper like this?" Regina asked warily.

"I'll be fine," I told her. "As long as I don't think about it, I won't bring it up."

I almost let Demi's dress idea slip after she and Regina bid their goodbyes to me. I was kind of sad that they left.

The rest of the day seemed to pass by slowly, mainly due to my jitters. It seemed that no matter what I did, time passed painfully slow. Tonight didn't seem to want to get here quick enough. Time was torturing me.

Finally, night came around. I eventually settled down when I ate dinner, and I almost felt like crashing after that. But I fought to keep myself awake; I had to keep my eyes open. Even if I had to tape them open just to stay awake, I would. I was not about to crash right before the scores got televised. I busied myself with changing into my nightwear when Bane knocked on the door frame.

"Better come out, they're getting ready to start," he called.

I sped past him, flying over the arm of the couch to sit on it. Sienna laughed at how excited I was. Ross was coming from the kitchen; Bane leaned against the top of the couch. My heart was pounding like crazy. Once the program came on, it amazed me how I didn't jump up and down for joy. I still had to have some caffeine in me.

Even now, for the 107th Hunger Games, the commentators were Claudius Templesmith and Caesar Flickerman. They were around when Katniss and Peeta had done their Games. That was a long time ago. These two never looked like their real ages. They've probably got some medicine or procedure that makes them young or age slowly, I thought curiously. I wasn't sure, but knowing the Capitol, something like that probably existed here.

Caesar's color for this Hunger Games was a dazzling white. Of course, Caesar always picked a color for each Games, just to spice things up a little bit. The white hair didn't make him look older oddly enough; he looked like someone who belonged in Heaven.

Claudius Templesmith always seemed like a short, porky man to me. His hair made his head look bigger than it was, and he looked older than Caesar, but not by much. He was a little more...decorative when it came to his outfits than Caesar. Claudius was the one who was going to read the scores for 1.

"Starting with District One," Claudius croaked. His voice sounded much older than he looked. "Bane...with a score of ten."

Ross made a noise of approval. I bet Bane was bursting with joy inside. Time for me. Sienna rubbed my knee, trying to calm me down.

"Crystal Springs...with a score of nine."

I could rest easy now. I laughed, sinking into the couch.

"Well done, you two," Ross said. He sounded like a proud parent.

Victor got an eight for his efforts, Aubrey a nine. Jenna got a ten, like Bane. Ben got an eight. In terms of who was the best, Bane and Jenna seemed to be on the top while I was stuck in the middle with Aubrey, and Victor and Ben brought up the rear.

There weren't many above average scores after us, except District 7's girl, who got a nine. I was jealous a little bit; I was supposed to be the only one with a nine, nobody else. Then again, I wasn't since Aubrey had gotten a nine as well.

The only others who really stood out were Shane, who got an eight—Bane wasn't really happy about that—and the boy from 13, who got a seven. Out of the twenty-six tributes, only nine (the pack, Shane, District 7's girl, and 13's boy) stood out more than the rest of the bunch. It made me wonder what the others did to get that good of a score.

"Hmm, looks like you've got some rough competition," Ross murmured.

"We'll get them," Bane vowed lowly. "We'll get them early."

"I have no doubt you will." I heard the smile in Ross's voice. I squirmed uneasily at the thought of Bane's growing obsession with Shane.

"Well, the hard part is over," Sienna sang.

I looked at her. "Umm, I highly doubt that was the hard part," I murmured. "We've got the Games themselves still to get through."

"I think she meant in terms of pre-Hunger Games," Ross explained.

"Yes, that's exactly what I meant," Sienna agreed.

"Our next step is the interviews, right?" Bane asked.

"Yes," Ross said. "But they won't be for a little over a week, so you both have time to prepare."

"Oh, please," I scoffed, "Bane won't need help; his looks will get him the attention he needs. He won't have to say a word to get admirers."

"I'm not worried about Bane so much as you."

I whipped my head around. "Are you serious?" I growled, getting defensive. Ross just looked at me, brown eyes unfathomable. "What's wrong with me?"

"You might turn people away with your attitude."

"Excuse me?" I screeched. I tried to stand up, but Sienna gently sat me back down on the couch. I still glared at Ross. "What's so bad about my attitude?"

"You can't be bitter."

"I've been good lately!"

"Regardless, I won't allow you to come off as harsh, and I'm sure as hell Caesar won't like it either. Listen, Crystal, when you're being interviewed—it's not like performing in front of the Gamemakers. You're on live TV, talking to somebody. What you say will either help you or kill you in the Games."

"Looks aren't enough?"

"No, you've got to look the part and talk it, too. You can't be all walk, no talk."

"Geez."

"It may seem like a lot of work to you, but don't worry, you'll get the hang of it. We've got a little over a week to make you more appealing to Panem."

Lovely. "We're starting tomorrow, right?" I asked.

"Of course. Why?"

"I'm heading to bed."

I slunk away to the hallway, slipping into my bedroom, shutting the door. I felt in the mood for a starry night view, so I let my ceiling light up with stars and darkness. To think, if my dress could look as amazing as what I was looking at on my ceiling, I might be able to get talked about just with what I would be wearing.

It probably won't work that way. Like Ross said, you can't be all walk and no talk, I reminded myself. I huffed, realizing Ross had a point. Looks could only get me so far.

I had a lot of work ahead of me.